Start seeds in dirt, in paper towel, ??

Discussion in 'Propagation This Month' started by CanadianLori, Apr 4, 2018.

  1. CanadianLori

    CanadianLori Total Gardener

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    I just sowed some new pepper seeds this morniing because my last lot of Ring of Fire were weaklings. I put them in soil blocks but whilst I was doing this I got to wondering if there is a general rule for various vegetables. Something like all brassica start in ? Or things like that.

    Anyone able to share their best for success starter mediums?
     
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    • pete

      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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      Just compost for me, ie multipurpose.
      Never got round to messing around with paper towels or cotton wool or damp sand.

      It will grow or it wont, the right temps are always good along with the right amount of moisture, often the hardest part is growing on after germination.:smile:
       
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      • Scrungee

        Scrungee Well known for it

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        Basically the same here, but I use seed compost rather than MPC for smaller seeds, unless using a finer MPC such as Jacks Magic.

        A couple of years ago I had extremely poor germination of Canna seeds using the moist cotton wool in poly bag in propagator method, but using the same, now older, seeds this year in seed compost I got 99% germination.
         
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          Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
        • pete

          pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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          It's down to how viable the seed is IMO, seed sellers would have us think it is the way we sow them.
          I've often found when growing plants that are considered difficult to germinate that my own saved seed grows very easily. It's because there are a lot of people out there selling very old seed.
           
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          • hydrogardener

            hydrogardener Total Gardener

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            There are probably as many different approaches to seed starting as there are members on the site.
            That said, this works best for me, for my peppers, and all of my other seeds:
            I soak them ovenight in a weak solution of hydrogen proxide and water. This will sterilize the seeds and also give them a big boost in germinating by adding oxygen.
            Next, I place them in coffee filters moistened with a dilute nutrient solution. The roots will not stick to coffee filters as they do to paper towels. They are sealed in plastic bags and placed under a grow light for about 12 hours a day.
            When germinated I only plant the most vigerous seedlings into individual pots using tweezers to plant the seeds.
            The seedlings are placed under grow light under a dome and allowed to develop true leaves before being gradually exposed to sunlight and outdoor or greenhouse conditions.
            Good luck with whatever method you select.

            start1.jpg

            start2.jpg

            pepper seedlinig.jpg
             
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            • Scrungee

              Scrungee Well known for it

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              I find saved seeds always have much higher germination rates than bought seeds and eliminate:

              1) shortfalls in number of seeds, like pay £3.80 for 6 T&M seeds and there's only 4 in the packet (and some of those look rubbishy, or as below).

              2) broken seeds (sometimes 2 halves counted as 2 seeds)

              3) immature, unviable seeds that obviously wont germinate

              4) pieces of rubbish/stones/etc. included as 'seeds'

              5) seemingly healthy seeds that simply refuse to germinate

              etc., etc.


              And this has nothing to do with the variety being difficult to germinate, as after successfully growing only one plant out of an entire packet and only saving seeds from one fruit/flower, those seeds achieve 99% germination the following year.
               
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              • CanadianLori

                CanadianLori Total Gardener

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                I really wished I had saved seeds from last year's Ring O Fire plant - I thought I did but couldn't find them in my collection. As a point of interest, these new seeds are from a company called Perrin - yes, over your side :) I expect them to be strong with sturdy legs .. :biggrin:

                Thank you everyone for the information :dbgrtmb:
                 
              • pete

                pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                Cant find a seed company called Perrin here Lori
                Found one called Perron in Quebec.
                 
              • CanadianLori

                CanadianLori Total Gardener

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                :doh::doh::doh: must have been thinking of that sauce... Lee & Perrin..

                Sorry about making you search - yes I bought the seeds through Perron - they are also the only ones who have Kelsae seeds. The pepper seeds are from a company named Suttons.
                 
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